Events

The Rotary Club of Potsdam will host our annual four-club dinner to celebrate our Dodge Pond camp and children on Thursday, October 10. Lynn Pietroski, Chief Executive Officer of The Arc Jefferson-St. Lawrence, will speak.

Hear firsthand about how this camp affects our communities. Through this camp, our clubs provide children with disabilities a chance to experience summer camp.

Time: Cash bar 5:30 p.m.; Dinner 6:15 p.m.
Place: The Lobster House, 95 S. Main St, Norwood, NY
Cost: $40/person
RSVP by October 4: dodgepond@potsdamrotary.org
Payment:  Pay in advance using the "Donate" button above (or at the door, if necessary)

A selection of eight entrees will be available to order at the dinner: prime rib, beef brisket, chicken Alfredo, chicken parmesan, haddock (broiled or fried), maritime platter (broiled shrimp scampi, fish filet, fried clams, and fried shrimp), vegetable ravioli, or pasta primavera.

As the dinner cost only covers food, there will also be a Silent Auction and 50/50. We ask that attendees and/or their clubs, please consider bringing a gift basket or items for the Silent Auction.

Please join us for an evening of learning about the Dodge Pond Camp Week that our clubs sponsor.

RSVP by October 4 to dodgepond@potsdamrotary.org.

SUNY Potsdam Professor Emeritus Bill Romey will share a presentation of photos from his recent trip to Japan.

The Rotary Club of Potsdam will hold its Beck Tessier Memorial Scholarship Gala on Saturday, March 22, at the Elks Lodge in Potsdam. The theme of this year’s gala, which benefits BOCES Seaway Career & Technical Education Center programs, is “Around the World.”

This event raises money for the end-of-the-year awards, one to a student in each program.

A 5 p.m. cash bar will be followed by a buffet dinner featuring a choice of steamboat prime rib, balsamic chicken or vegetarian lasagna). Prize drawing, a trivia contest and dancing will follow. The cost is $45 per-person advance purchase with a limited number of tickets. If available, tickets will be $50 at the door. The evening also includes a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, and other games.

Tickets can be purchased above (click on "Donate") or from any Potsdam Rotarian. Tickets may also be purchased by mailing a check for $45 per person to "Potsdam Rotary, PO Box 912, Potsdam, NY 13676." If purchasing by mail, please include attendees' names  or email them to gala@potsdamrotary.org.

The gala is named in memory of late Potsdam Rotarian Rebecca J. “Beck” Tessier of Massena, who died in November 2024 after a valiant, two-year battle with ALS. She was a member of Potsdam Rotary from 2018 until her death and had a special fondness for the scholarship gala. She was instrumental in the planning and execution of the first gala, and was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary in 2020 for her demonstrated commitment to the goals and purposes of Rotary.

Potsdam Rotary thanks the local businesses that generously donated scholarships to outstanding graduating Seaway Tech students in 2024: Atlantic Testing Laboratories; Brookfield Renewable U.S; Community Bank; Core Access Therapies, Dr. William Pena; Frenchie’s Chevrolet; Glow Skincare and Spa; The Lobster House; Midwife Sunday; North Country Savings Bank; Northern Mechanicals; Putney Tree Service; SUNY Potsdam Law Enforcement Training Institute; TJ Toyota; and Waddington Hardware and Building Supply.

The Rotary Club of Potsdam was founded 97 years ago on the basis of community service by business leaders in many professions. A monthly award for BOCES students, the “Rev. William R. and Crystal E. Cuthbert Vocational Excellence Award Sponsored by Brookfield Renewable U.S.,” has received several district awards. The club presents the monthly award to Seaway Tech students in each of 15 programs.